TORONTO — There’s nothing that will ruin a vacation as fast as getting your passport, cash or camera stolen. To save you the headache of dealing with that, there is some simple advice you can follow.
“Travel theft is a serious problem for all travellers,” said Allison Frame of The Divine Destination Collection, who provided the tips below.
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1. Upgrade your travel tech
You may want to look into purchasing a travel safe purse with a ‘slash proof’ strap. Slashing the strap of a bag is a quick way for thieves to make off with your belongings. If you can find a purse with anti-scan pockets for credit cards (or an anti-scan wallet), that’s a bonus.
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2. Leave the Canadian tags at home
Think about leaving the Canadian flag clothing and luggage tags at home, as they can be a clear tip-off you’re from a first world country and likely have valuables on you or in your luggage.
READ MORE: How easy is it to travel with a Canadian passport?
3. Give your luggage a twist
You can twist ties to securely and inexpensively secure your luggage while allowing security access if needed. This adds significantly more time for would-be thieves to get into your luggage and may keep them from picking your bags in the first place.
4. Try not to look like a tourist
One traveller said her husband has “Tommy Tourist written on his forehead,” so she keeps all his documents and money strapped around her neck and only gives them to him when needed.
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5. Make the call
Calling your credit card company to let them know you are travelling could stop fraud before it starts. Credit card companies can flag your card to see if there are any unusual or potentially fraudulent charges.
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